Paul McCartney Rejected This John Lennon Song for The Beatles, and I Can’t Say I Blame Him
In autumn 1969, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison declined John Lennon’s proposal to release “Cold Turkey” as the Beatles’ next single. Lennon recorded it with the Plastic Ono Band instead, marking the first time one of his songs was released solely under his own name. The article argues that the refusal helped preserve the group’s catalogue from another likely radio controversy and gave Lennon a clearer break from the band.
The Beatles had released *Abbey Road* on 26 September, with “Something” backed by “Come Together” due out as a single on 6 October. Lennon recorded “Cold Turkey” on 30 September, and the Plastic Ono Band released it on 20 October. Lennon later said American radio stations banned the song; the article also notes that the Beatles’ “Ballad of John and Yoko” had faced bans earlier that year.
In short
- The Beatles declined Lennon’s “Cold Turkey” in 1969.
- Lennon released it with the Plastic Ono Band.
- The song’s solo release helped mark a break from the Beatles.
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The case for
Declining “Cold Turkey” can be defended as a way to protect the Beatles’ shared catalogue and avoid another radio controversy, especially after “Ballad of John and Yoko” had faced bans. With “Something” and “Come Together” already set for release, the group also had a strong single in place, while releasing Lennon’s song with the Plastic Ono Band gave it a distinct identity and supported his move towards a separate career.
The case against
The refusal can be seen as denying the Beatles’ own songwriter a chance to bring a new, personal work to the group’s audience, even though Lennon wanted it released as a Beatles single. Radio bans were a risk, but controversy did not necessarily outweigh the band’s artistic freedom, and releasing the song together might have honoured Lennon’s contribution while keeping the group’s collaboration intact.
Explained simply
The Beatles were a British band whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. By 1969, they had released several records as a group, while Lennon was also beginning to make music with the Plastic Ono Band, a project associated with him and artist Yoko Ono.
“Cold Turkey” was a Lennon song about withdrawal from heroin. Its subject was unusual for a pop single at the time, and Lennon later said some American radio stations banned it. The Beatles had already faced radio bans that year over “The Ballad of John and Yoko”, which referred to Lennon and Ono’s marriage and public activities.
A band’s choice of what to release as a single could shape how listeners encountered its music and how radio stations responded. Lennon’s proposal therefore touched both on the Beatles’ public image and on his growing musical work outside the group.
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